Champaign-Urbana Muslim Action Committee (CU MAC) strongly condemns the invitation of an Israeli forces’ soldier to speak on campus under the guise of “inspiration.”
On Wednesday, March 5, 2025, the event “Stories from the Front Lines” at University of Illinois affiliated Illini Chabad will feature Sergeant Major Ari, who has actively participated in Israel’s brutal assault on Gaza. He boasts about serving in the first infantry assault into Gaza and his role in the invasion of Lebanon, both of which are part of ongoing war crimes and collective punishment against Palestinian civilians.
Israel’s actions have resulted in the indiscriminate killing of tens of thousands of Palestinian men, women, and children, the destruction of homes, hospitals, and schools, and the displacement of entire communities. While innocent civilians face such atrocities, our community is welcoming a war criminal.
The university community should not platform war criminals. Allowing a soldier who has actively participated in the genocide of Palestinians to speak at a university affiliated event is an endorsement of violence and a betrayal of the values of justice and human rights.
This event is funded in part by the Champaign-Urbana Jewish Endowment Foundation, an alarming use of local resources to sanitize Israel’s ongoing occupation and apartheid.
We unequivocally reject the featuring of Sergeant Major Ari, any other member of the Israeli forces, and all war criminals.
We reject war criminals
We need humanity please.